Dislocated Worker Programs & Initiatives

Let the Arkansas Workforce Center at Little Rock provide a smooth transition for these people into a suitable new job.

Pre-layoff Services

FREE Job Training Programs

Community Resources

Outplacement Services

Company Specific Services

When a Company is Laying-off Employees

There is help that the company can receive at no charge, and its employees can and will receive help to find alternate employment at no charge.

Several laws and state agencies go into action when there is a lay-off or company closing.

The size of the company or the lay-off may affect the process that determines the best response, but all dislocated workers are given priority and all employers are encouraged first to call:

The Governor’s Dislocated Worker Task Force. A division of the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, headed by John C. “Jay” Bassett III, it is located at 1501 S. Main St., PO Box 2981, Little Rock, AR 72203 (501)682-1818 jay.bassett@arkansas.gov

The GDWTF has the frontline staff to determine the severity of a potential lay-off, has the capacity to make rapid responses, and keeps all information in the strictest confidence. A secondary contact at GDWTF is Regina Moss, who can be reached at 501-683-1412 or regina.moss@arkansas.gov

The GDWTF will meet with the management of the affected company, coordinate the services of other state and local responders, and conduct worker trainings and workshops.

Generally, an employer with 100 employees or more should be aware that they may be required by law to file a WARN Notice, referring to the “Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN)” Act. However, it is incumbent upon the company and its legal advisors to determine if this step is necessary, and neither the GDWTF nor a local government entity can provide this legal advice to them. Direct the company to find more information on determining if a WARN Notice is required at https://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-warn.htp

Several other federally funded programs can go into action as a result of a lay-off or company closing situation to address the needs of the company and its dislocated workers, including Trade Affected Assistance (TAA) Reform Act of 2002 that becomes available to workers dislocated by increased imports or shifts to production outside the U.S. A National Emergency Grant (NEG) might also take effect when mass layoffs, company closings, natural disasters, and other emergency situations require a rapid response. (In Little Rock, examples of this have included the closing of the Southwest Airlines Call Center and the Levi Strauss plant, the Katrina disaster, and the ice storms during 2008-2009.)

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Dislocated Worker funding stream is a component of the services available at the Little Rock Workforce Center. Dislocated Workers are given a priority of service and are not required to meet income or other eligibility requirements of normal WIA participants. All employers and their dislocated workers should be directed to Farrah Hammond, Workforce Center Director, 5401 S. University Ave., Little Rock, AR 72209, (501) 907-1930, farrah.hammond@arkansas.govor the Dislocated Worker Career Specialist, Yolanda Carman, at (501) 907-7094, yolanda.carman@arkansas.gov